1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to modular refrigeration systems and in particular, to an in-line fluid flow trap which removes entrained impurities from the cooling water circulating through the modular refrigeration system.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Art conditioning installations for modern buildings, office structures, shopping complexes, warehouses and the like, comprise, air treatment units to which water or other heat exchanges fluids are pumped, whereby air is indirectly cooled by the heat exchange fluid during summer months or is heated during winter months and is then circulated to the areas desired to be conditioned. The heat exchange fluid for cooling is generally circulated through an evaporator/chiller of a refrigerator system which removes heat (for cooling purposes) from the air to be conditioned. Heat within the first heat exchange fluid is transferred into a second heat exchange fluid which circulates through the condenser of the refrigeration system. The second heat exchange fluid usually comprises water or another liquid or even may comprise air in an air cooled or evaporative cooling system.
The trend towards refrigeration systems has been to remove the inefficient large capacity, single unit refrigeration systems, substituting instead modular refrigeration systems where a series of independent miniature refrigeration units can be linked together in a series fashion to provide an expandable refrigeration system which can closely meet the exact needs of the heating or cooling demand, thereby providing operating efficiencies not capable with the single, large capacity unit.
Modular refrigeration systems have found particular merit in various building structures where provision is made for the future expansion of the building structure, whereby a like expansion of the refrigeration system can also be readily accomplished. In this way, a very efficient refrigeration system which is operating at full capacity or near full capacity can be realized. Likewise, modular refrigeration systems have been found to be particularly useful in rehabilitating older building structures which were never equipped with refrigeration equipment. In those applications, modular units are extremely well-adapted for use where space limitations would prevent installation of single, large capacity units.
However, it has been discovered that when the individual modules are serially connected together, the unit which is last in line for the modular system, experiences water purity problems which leads to blockage of the cooling water supply header on that unit. More specifically, since the cooling water flowing to the units has the natural tendency to experience wall friction and pressure losses as it encounters each successive individual module, when the last module is reached, many of the impurities entrained within the cooling water supply will have a tendency to drop out in the header piping of the very last individual module. The impurities can amount to a quite substantial blockage of the header pipe in the last individual module, whereby the cooling water flowrate and supply for the last module is effectively deminimus. As the cooling water supply header pipe for the last unit becomes further and further blocked, it has been found that the penultimate individual module will eventually experience the same gradual blockage which the last module experienced. Over a very long period of time, if the condition is not discovered and allowed to continue, each supply header pipe of each individual module will eventually become blocked such that the very first module will effectively be the only operating module.
It is desirable therefore to find a means for eliminating the blockage of the individual header pipes so that maximum operating efficiencies can be maintained in each individual refrigeration module.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such means whereby the cleansing of the header pipes can be maintained continuously and automatically.